BEGINNERS BLOGGER TIPS
Hey everyone! I hope you are coping well in week 482 of lockdown! Now this blogpost was requested by a couple lovely people I know through Instagram- a "How to set up a blog" kind of post. But I have only been blogging for a month, so I'm still working things out myself, but hopefully I can shed some light on the actual setting up of the blog and maybe inspire someone to start writing...who knows?
So without further ado, here are my tips of what I have learnt in my first month of blogging!
TIP #1
ENJOY WHAT YOU WRITE
A lot of people will tell you "Find your niche" etc etc, but I've not really followed that advice. I believe that people can see the passion through the words, so you have to enjoy what you're writing about or it won't be exciting or a fun read. I have so many different interests like travelling, food, animals, fashion, beauty, positivity (the list goes on!) and I would hate to pick just one of those in order to conform to a "niche". I also think that if I had to write about only one subject, it would eventually run dry of ideas and enthusiasm. So, if you enjoy what you write, and include all your interests, then the inspiration won't stop flowing!
Also, don't do it because you see these big "influencers" blogging and think it'll help you grow too, because it might not. I also refuse to have an "upload schedule" so that publishing posts is on my terms and there aren't any expectations. It is just a bit of fun after all!
TIP #2
PICK A SITE
I don't own my website. I don't have my own personalised domain (yet). There are plenty free sites that make it easy for even the least tech savvy people to set up a successful blog. You don't have to spend the world either. I personally use Blogger/ Blogspot, but I know loads of other people who use Wordpress, Wix and Squarespace. Blogger was my favourite because of the navigation and personalisation of my blog. It is SO easy to use! People really rave about Wordpress though, so you can try a few and then delete the ones you don't like and just keep your favourite.
A lot of people don't recommend Blogger for "serious" bloggers that want to make a living from it. If that's your aim then I strongly recommend your own site.
TIP #3
LESS IS MORE
Once you've set up your blog and you get to the layout and theme of it, I think "less is more" is essential. Of course this is only my opinion, and your blog is free to express yourself however you want, but as an avid reader of other blogs, I always prefer when the website is easy to navigate, pleasing to look at, and has minimal pop-ups. I keep mine to a thumbnail and the title on the main page, and only include around 5 photos in the post so it isn't overwhelming to look at.
There are also lots of apps to use to help edit your photos for thumbnails and stuff, which I can share in another post if literally anyone cares LOL
TIP #4
PRE-WRITE
"Where will I find the time?" is a common question before one starts blogging. I think take advantage of this time in lockdow to write as much as you can/ want, so then when your life gets crazy busy again you won't have to worry so much about producing content. I do this with Instagram too. It just saves my content for if I'm busy, or unwell, or just cannot be arsed to make content!
TIP #5
PROMOTE THE *@%! OUT OF IT
I set up my own Instagram dedicated to following other amazing bloggers, and to promote my own. If you just publish a blogpost and leave it at that, people will never read it and that can be disheartening and demotivating. Getting an audience is difficult, and you don't want to pester people to read it BUT you do want to make it enticing (catchy titles and eye-catching thumbnails) so that people WANT to click on your blog. Twitter is also big in the blogging world, as is Pinterest, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how it works!
I hope these tips have been at least semi-useful for at least one person! If you'd like a more technical post around this topic (as in all the confusing HTML stuff) then I'd be more than happy to do that also!
Let me know your thoughts, either on a comment or DM on my Instagram
Love always,
